Academy launches website to find lost films

Several reels of "The White Shadow," a 1923 film that Alfred… (National Film Preservation…)

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Academy Film Archive is asking the public to help it find "Oscar's Most Wanted" -- Oscar-winning or Oscar-nominated films that have long been missing.

People might not know they are sitting on some long-lost cinematic gem. Films that have long disappeared from view often show up in the oddest places, including barns, yard sales and attics. Two years ago, a treasure trove of silent American movies was found at the New Zealand Film Archive.

Among the films the archive is looking for is the 1928 Ernst Lubitsch film, "The Patriot," which earned several Oscar nominations, including best film, and won an Academy Award for writing achievement. The trailer has been found and restored, and a reel was discovered and restored by the Portuguese Film Archive.